The Mayans were an amazing culture, until they weren't. Humans throughout the centuries always seem to think what they've created is the best thing possible. And then tomorrow comes along and changes things dramatically.
Right now blockchain and cryptocurrency seems like the "it" thing in the digital world. However, the reality is that blockchain has only been around for a few years at best, maybe a decade at best. And in that time, a number of other technologies are starting to be developed, both for currency as well as other decentralized finance and many other purposes. So, to realistically think that blockchain is going be like the automobile and stick around for a good century is a bit optimistic (actually, it's a lot optimistic). Here are some of the other technologies already well in play and potentially promising alternatives to crypto.
Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) Technology
Also providing the ability to work off of a decentralized ledger, Directed Acyclic Graph uses parallel processing as an entirely different approach that blockchain code building. parallel processing has the advantages of working much faster and not being dragged down by heavy chain legacies, a key problem with Bitcoin's blockchain. NANO is probably the most well-known example of DAG, moving transactions extremely fast with nothing in the form of transactions fees. In other words, it's perfect as medium for everyday currency and moving funds without the loss of fees to do it.
Hashgraph Technology
An oddly named protocol (Gossip about Gossip), Hashgraph promises to have a better approach for the same concerns about blockchain that has yet to be solved by the big coins: speed, security and reliable ordering. That said, Hashgraph has proven itself at handling a high transaction volume in the thousands per second, which puts it into contention.
Tangle
If you've used IOTA, then you've used Tangle technology. This one also challenges gas fees and scalability head one, using an directed acyclic graph approach that boosts speed without compromising security. It also maintains decentralization, which favors no particular central control that can be corrupted. Transactions are moved on a Proof-of-Work basis, and the technology has applications in Internet of Things, supply chain data transfer and finance.
Quantum Computing
Most folks have heard of Quant computing with high-speed stock market trading. However, quantum systems can do a lot more than just find the marginal profit moments for Apple stock. Because these massively powerful computers can perform complex calculations at a speed and capability that exceeds normal computers, they can also pull through cryptographic code far faster than most other tools available. That's an outright threat to the security that people have come to take for granted with traditional blockchain technology. To thwart this, various blockchain elements are producing forks to negate the power of quantum computers.
The bottom line is obvious - blockchain is not the only game in town. And that means, for all the fluff about Bitcoin, Ethereum and similar. There's always the potential for something new around the corner to disrupt things all over again. While a big paradigm change only happens once every ten or twenty years, we're already due for the next gamechanger to appear. And that could mean all that crypto people are piling up might be worthless in a few years as finance follows technology.
